How much weight under bed?

[RoamingForLife]

Hello All. I am a new owner of an 2017 AS International Serenity 25RB. I am a full timer and heeding out in a week for the first time in the AS Trailer.

I know weight distribution is important. Will confirm later the weight distribution.

Should I try to balance out the front weight with heavy items under the bed or avoid weight in the rear and move the heavy stuff to my 2001 Silverado 2500 HD?

Thanks,
Lloyd Williams
@RoamingForLife

[Andy543]

Originally Posted by RoamingForLife

Hello All. I am a new owner of an 2017 AS International Serenity 25RB. I am a full timer and heeding out in a week for the first time in the AS Trailer.

I know weight distribution is important. Will confirm later the weight distribution.

Should I try to balance out the front weight with heavy items under the bed or avoid weight in the rear and move the heavy stuff to my 2001 Silverado 2500 HD?

Thanks,
Lloyd Williams
@RoamingForLife

Generally speaking, you should try to load heavy items above the axles. You should aim for a tongue weight of 10% but 8-12% is OK, too. You have a good sized tow vehicle and whatever it comes out to be, the truck will handle it. Note that a very low or negative tongue weight will make a trailer sway, but that happens mainly with cargo trailers, not Airstreams.

[RoamingForLife]

Thanks, so less weight behind the axles because International 25 has no storage over the axles?

[Andy543]

Originally Posted by RoamingForLife

Thanks, so less weight behind the axles because International 25 has no storage over the axles?

Excellent question, should you put the extra load in front of or behind the axles? The answer is, it can go either way, depending on too many factors that you can't really determine without a lot more data and actual testing. What I can say, is, if you have a large enough tow vehicle, and you do, you can put that load anyplace and you will never notice the difference, and the impact on your rig's safety will be unnoticeable and negligible.

My recommendation is to load the trailer and tow vehicle whichever way seems convenient for your trip, then weigh the rig and see where your axle weights come in. You want the tow vehicle to have reasonably close to a 50/50 front rear axle weight distribution. A little more on the rear axle is better than too much on the front axle.

I'm sure you'll be OK. Had you chosen a 1/2 ton truck instead of the 3/4 ton truck, your question would be of greater concern.

[richard5933]

As tempting as it is to load up the under-bed storage with heavy items on our 25-ft rear-twin Excella, we avoid it as much as possible because offsetting heavy tongue weight by loading the rear worsens trailer handling and sway.

The priority order for us in storing heavier items is over the axles and as low to the floor as possible, then we move further away from the axles down low, and then finally up in overhead storage.

We have a wardrobe over the axles and some heavy items are in a bin on the floor of the wardrobe. During travel other heavy items are temporarily placed in the bathroom/shower (over the axles) or in the hallway.

I built a moveable ottoman which opens for storage, and inside it we carry all our beverages. It can be quite heavy at the start of a trip so it gets moved to the hallway for travel days.

Bedroom storage in the rear is just clothing and some linens, nothing heavy. Front (living room) storage is mainly paper goods and lightweight gear for setting up the campsite.

Any heavy items that can't be stored for travel near the center of the trailer are usually carried in large totes in the back of the Suburban. Lots of room there for a few large totes filled with things like the outdoor cook set, etc.

[RoamingForLife]

Richard Thanks great suggestions.

[RoamingForLife]

Andy, will do. Great advice.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by RoamingForLife

Thanks, so less weight behind the axles because International 25 has no storage over the axles?

Generally speaking, this is correct. If you have to choose between a slightly heavier tongue weight (within TV limits) and adding weight to the rear to try and 'balance' the trailer, always go for the heavier tongue weight.

Lots of evidence that putting weight behind the axles, especially all the way in the rear, contributes to trailer sway and poor handling.

Remember, the setup you use for towing doesn't have to be the same setup you use once you arrive. Having things in totes which fit into the storage bays makes moving things around easier once you arrive and set up camp.

[Bill M.]

The best place to haul heavy items is the bed of the 2500.

[RoamingForLife]

Thank Richard and Bill. I am using the Rubbermaid totes.

[RoamingForLife]

Thank you all this is exactly what I was looking for. Safe travels to all.

[Redbarron55]

I had to choose a way to adjust the loading for my 1985 25' Sovereign to reduce the tongue loading to be within the limitations of our 2012 VW Touareg tow vehicle.
The 1985 Sovereign 25' had a very high tongue load due to the changes from rear bath to center bath. As a result Airstream only put one battery in the trailer to help keep the weight below 800 lbs.
I removed that battery and installed three LiFePO4 100 Ah batteries under the street side twin bed along with the new inverter and added a PD 4060 power center in the bottom of the night stand. This reduced the tongue weight to manageable proportions.
With this setup, even though the weight was added to the rear the handling is very good with no tendency to sway.
I think that also it is important to have the trailer level with a slight nose down tilt because the weight loading on the dual axles also makes some difference as well. It the nose is too far down the center of pressure or load sharing between the axles shifts towards to front making the center of gravity of the trailer act like it is further to the rear of the trailer and aggravating possible instability. Tilt with the nose up has the opposite effect and increases the tongue weight, possibly making the tow vehicle unstable.
As with most things there is a lot of interactions in this dynamic system.
I do wish I were closer to CanAm RV so that I could get the reinforcements that they offer for the Touareg, but the car seems to handle the loads pretty well as is.
I think that CanAM have done a similar thing with the trailer that they have set up to be towed with a Tesla to get the tongue weight within acceptable limits for that car and possibly to lighten it as well.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

More weight in the back of the trailer means worse stability. Moving weight closer to the front improves stability. Get it over the rear axle of the truck and it pretty much stops being a stability issue. There are tons of videos that demonstrate this.

Sounds like we're done? nope.

Weight up front impacts tongue weight and payload on your TV. How much do you have to spare? How much can the hitch / receiver / shank / tongue handle?

Done? ... nope.

Weight over the axles means less strain on the trailer frame. That's less strain sitting and less strain heading down that bumpy road. How much can the frame / structure of the trailer handle?

Done? .... nope.

The trailer has a "max load" number on it. Way down in the fine print you notice "uniformly distributed". Is it even in the document you have or someplace else? Who knows, it's still part of this.

Are we done? Probably not. However those are the "high points" most folks worry about. Bottom line: it depends on a bunch of things.

Bob

[trailerKat]

You can get weighed at a CAT scale. Many truck stops have them. The best weigh system is Smartweigh that the Escapees Club offers at some of their corporate parks. The closest one to you would be in Congress, AZ. They weigh each wheel and the tongue separately both with truck attached and unhitched. You will know if you are balanced front to back and side to side, and if you are over weight. An insurance company can deny a claim if they can prove you were overweight and that was the cause of the accident. We have been Smartweighed twice, six years apart with good results both times.

[Bill M.]

"An insurance company can deny a claim if they can prove you were overweight "

What does this statement actually mean? If I am running overweight and hit somebody then my insurance has to pay, right?

[GSED]

We’re keeping the trailer as light as possible. Less things to keep contained, less stress on the entire AS, lower tire pressure. Cargo goes in the bed of the truck. Watch the payload.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by GSED

We’re keeping the trailer as light as possible. Less things to keep contained, less stress on the entire AS, lower tire pressure. Cargo goes in the bed of the truck. Watch the payload.

Hi

.... but where will you put those "great finds" that you pick on your trip

I don't think we've come back with over 1,000 pounds of added stuff (yet). It has been close though. Yes, that's us and may not apply to everybody. Still, it's probably a good idea to "plan for more" in any loading setup.

Dodging around 3' x 4' x 4' boxes inside the trailer for weeks is less than ideal. I have empirical data on this .

Bob

[GSED]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

.... but where will you put those "great finds" that you pick on your trip

I don't think we've come back with over 1,000 pounds of added stuff (yet). It has been close though. Yes, that's us and may not apply to everybody. Still, it's probably a good idea to "plan for more" in any loading setup.

Dodging around 3' x 4' x 4' boxes inside the trailer for weeks is less than ideal. I have empirical data on this .

Bob

Right on, Bob . Brings back good memories. My beloved and wiser half set clear (new at that time) goals and standards for our travels - see, minimalism is trending… so far, so good. Or, maybe, we’re just getting old. Can’t tell the difference anymore... LOL. She’s happy and life is good. In all fairness I always preferred a loaded TV and lighter trailer.

[Texas Gal 61]

It’s tempting to use the bed space. We have the exact trailer. We keep Clothes, back up linen if needed, an instapot, shoes, maybe some food items,
That’s it. We have a small ice maker that travels under the dining table. Outside things are outside. Mostly in the truck bed.
Have a wonderful time in your camper. FYI we just added Starlink. It’s amazing. I wish we knew about it before we retired. Happy travels.

[mythbuster88]

With your nice big truck I would not even think about it.
Fill your fresh water tank and go have fun.